COLLECTIVES

Collective practice is a group of individuals with the same ideas and goals working together to achieve success. Collectives are a collaborative method of working to produce greater results.

>> WHAT IS OUR DEFINITION OF A COLLECTIVE?

For the purposes of this project, our definition of a collective is a group of individuals with the same ideas & goals working together to achieve bigger results.

>> WHY & WHEN DID THE FIRST COLLECTIVE START?

The word collective originates from 1875-80.

It is difficult to identify the ‘first’ collective, this requires further research, probably in the art school library. Dada (1916) and Fluxus (1958 –) make good examples of early collectives, usually classified as art movements, they embody the dictionary definition of being a collective – ‘formed by collection’, ‘characteristic of a group of individuals taken together’ with lists of members/ participating artists being well documented in art history. The proposed output of Fluxus fits within our defininition of a collective,

“George Maciunas’ idea was to get together with the people in Germany who were doing the same kind of thing, and to do something like a book and something like a magazine…”[1]

Therefore we can term Dada and Fluxus as Collectives.

Archigram (1960s).

William Morris & the Arts and Crafts Movement. As the first collective?